'What Color is Your Parachute?' by Richard N. Bolles

If you're only going to read one book on the list, you may want to choose this one. Why? It covers a little about everything.

Bolles writes in the first chapter, "In today's world, he or she who gets hired is not necessarily the one who can do that job best; but, the one who knows the most about how to get hired."

The first half of the book talks about how to create an eye-catching résumé and cover letter, as well as how to improve your networking, interviewing, and negotiating skills — while the second half focuses on how to find your ideal career.

'Never Eat Alone' by Keith Ferrazzi

"Never Eat Alone" is about using relationships to reach success. In other words, it's about who you know, not what you know.

Ferrazzi, a master networker, talks about how he used connections to get into Yale for his undergraduate degree, Harvard for his MBA, and later, to land a number of top executive positions.

Based on his experiences and additional research, Ferrazzi claims that networking is the difference between average and super successful people. To help others achieve their dream life, he lays out his exact steps for reaching out to people in his network, as well as networking tips from the most well-connected individuals in the modern business and political world.

These tips have helped him connect with Washington power players and Hollywood A-listers, so they should definitely be able to help you.

'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg

"I can't count the number of times I've heard the phrase 'lean in' in the past six months, as if everyone finally got around to reading the Facebook COO's 2013 book," Adrian Liang, a senior editor at Amazon, tells Business Insider.

'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen R. Covey

Amazon

As the title states, Covey has condensed the behaviors of effective people into seven habits that everyone should develop to be more successful, such as being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, and always trying to reach a win/win agreement.

Everyone should read this bestseller, but if you're swamped, you can check out the book's summary on Business Insider.

'Outliers: The Story of Success' by Malcolm Gladwell

Ever wonder how the best, brightest, or most successful people got to where they are today? Gladwell did, and he set out to find answers.

In the Canadian journalist and bestselling author's book "Outliers," he explains that in order to learn why some people reach the highest levels of success in sports, academia, or other pursuits, we have to look at their backgrounds, including their culture, family, generation, and individual experiences growing up.

'Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience' by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

"Yes, you will need to set time aside to immerse yourself in Csikszentmihalyi's thesis on how to make your work and thinking better by getting into the 'flow' as opposed to jumping from task to task, but that's pretty much the point," Liang says.

"Flow" is perfect for anyone looking to get in the zone and achieve a state of energized focus in their work and life.

"Reading the book itself is an example how devoting time to an important idea is well worth the effort," Liang says.

'A Whole New Mind' by Daniel H. Pink

If you're an artist, inventor, storyteller, or any other kind of "right-brain" thinker, good news: Pink says the future belongs to people like you.

To help set you up for a long and stable career in a world that is beginning to have an abundance of "knowledge workers" like doctors, lawyers, and accountants, Pink lays out the abilities he thinks are essential to success and fulfillment — and tips for how you can develop them in yourself.

'Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time' by Brian Tracy

"I worked with a manager who gave this book to all her incoming hires, and it was especially helpful for those who were new to the industry and had a lot to learn," Liang says.

The title comes from Mark Twain's famous tip: eat a frog first thing in the morning. In other words, instead of putting of difficult or unpleasant tasks, it's better to tackle them straight away.

"Tracy explains in his accessible text that if you're anxious about a task or don't know how to do it, make it the first thing you tackle on your to-do list," Liang says. "With the worst task out of the way, the rest of your day will be much sunnier."

'Find Your Perfect Job: The Inside Guide for Young Professionals' by Scott Smith

The author, who has experience with Wall Street, Washington, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley, as well as an MBA and law degree, uses this book to share the career secrets he's learned while navigating the working world as a young professional.

The book touches on how to pick a career and how to find a job, as well as résumé and interviewing tips.

'The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism' by Olivia Fox Cabane

"Cabane breaks down of the science behind charisma to bust the myth that personal magnetism is something you're born with instead of developed through practice and perseverance," Liang says.

There are so many popular myths out their about charisma and charismatic people, it's heartening to see some of those misperceptions broken down. After all, who doesn't want to become more charismatic?

"Whether you're trying to win over new coworkers or want to make friends in a new city, the uncommon advice and specific methods in this book will fast-track you toward more meaningful personal relationships," Liang says.

'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman

"Thinking, Fast and Slow," a New York Times bestseller and winner of the National Academy of Sciences Best Book Award in 2012, is another must-read for young professionals.

In the book, Kahneman, a psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, explains how our minds function. With that knowledge, he says people can figure out how to make better decisions in both their professional and personal lives.

'Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?' by Seth Godin

Godin is the author of 18 international bestsellers, but this 2008 classic is the fastest selling book of his career.

In "Linchpin" he argues that each company has three groups: management, labor, and linchpins. The last group may not get much recognition, but its members form the building blocks of the organization because they love their work and pour themselves into it.

"Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back," Godin writes. "It's time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must."

'So Good They Can't Ignore You' by Cal Newport

In "So Good They Can't Ignore You," Newport argues that "follow your passion" is a flawed cliché and bad career advice.

To back his opinion up, the Georgetown professor spent time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and other workers to find out how they landed in a career that they loved.

What did he find? Aligning your job with a preexisting passion doesn't affect your job satisfaction. Instead, people become passionate about jobs that they work hard at and become excellent at over time.

'Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World' by Mitch Prinstein

"While it would be nice to think that your popularity has no effect on how your work is judged, that's not quite the case," Liang says.

However, as the book reveals, popularity in the adult world is markedly different than popularity in high school.

"Prinstein makes the case that being friendly and open instead of a status-seeking blowhard is the key to embedding yourself in your coworkers' (and boss's) hearts," Liang says. "This book flies against the conventional wisdom that being hard-driving and risk-taking is the master key to career success, but there are enough real-life examples in here — and in your own life — to make you consider adding 'be nice' to your career toolbox."